She Was
by My Fangirl Heart
Summary: Nate keeps thinking of Vanessa.


The wedding ceremony of Dan Humphrey and Serena Van Der Woodsen was a small, intimate affair. Very un-Serena Van Der Woodsen; very Serena Humphrey. As Nate Archibald sat in the foyer of their townhouse, watching his friends get married, he looked around the room. They were all happy, he thought. Everyone had someone. Even Georgina Sparks was happily in a relationship. Yet, here he was, alone. Nothing in his life but his job.

It wasn't as if there was no one he wanted to be with. There was. In all honesty, there had been only one girl Nate ever loved.

With Blair, it was just habit. They'd been together so long that he didn't know how to be without her.

Serena was an infatuation. Nothing but lust. She was the 'it' girl and everyone wanted her. It was only natural for Nate to fall under her spell.

But Vanessa... She was real. She wasn't from the Upper East Side, and that made her different. She could care less what brands were in-style, she wore what she wanted to wear and to Nate, she always looked gorgeous. She was surrounded by people swimming in money, but she had to work for hers. No matter how many times Nate offered to buy her things she wanted, she refused because she'd rather earn it. She was everything he wanted and so much more. It just took him too long to realize it and so he lost her. All she wanted was to be the only one in Nate's heart, and it took him a while but eventually, _she was_.

* * *

><p>The reception passed in a blur. Couples dancing, people flirting, Nate sitting at a chair wishing Vanessa was here, asking him to dance instead of the countless single girls at the bar. Dan seemed to notice Nate's upset demeanor and went over to talk to him.<p>

"Hey," the groom greeted his friend.

"Hey man, congratulations," Nate said with a halfhearted smile.

"Thanks," Dan grinned, dreamily gazing at his laughing bride for a moment before turning back to Nate. "So, tell me what's up,"

"Oh, no, it's nothing," Nate lied but Dan saw right through it.

"You're thinking of Vanessa again, aren't you?"

Nate looked down at the table, letting Dan know he was right. After all of these years, Dan was the only one Nate confided in about his feelings towards the girl.

"She's a great girl," Dan said.

"She is," Nate agreed.

"Without her, my book would never have been published, even if she went the whole wrong way about it and went a little crazy at the end there,"

"She did," Nate chuckled.

Dan sighed and Nate looked up at him.

"Here," Dan handed Nate a piece of paper with an address for somewhere in Spain on it. "It's where Vanessa is. I managed to track her down for you,"

"Are you serious?" Nate asked, his eyes full of happiness and excitement. Dan nodded.

"Take a week off work, get on a plane and go get her,"

Nate nodded and stood up from his seat, heading for the door.

"Hey, Nate," Dan called just before Nate reached the door "she was crazy for you, you know?"

A small smile made it's way onto Nate's face as he looked back at Dan.

With a small nod, Nate muttered, mostly to himself.

"Yeah, _she was_."

* * *

><p>As Nate sat on the first flight to Spain he could find, he thought about what he would do when he got to Vanessa. He himself had to admit that what he was doing was crazy. He knew he and Vanessa never ended on good terms and now he was flying to Spain to see her and confess his love for her.<p>

He ordered another cup of water from the stewardess as he sat fidgeting nervously in his seat. He had been drinking water non-stop for the entirety of the flight because just the thought of seeing Vanessa made him feel dehydrated.

For a brief moment, Nate questioned whether or not she was worth it. He dismissed the thought as quickly as it came, though because he already knew.

_She was._

* * *

><p>That's what lead Nate to where he was now. Standing out the front of a random house in Barcelona with his heart on his sleeve and a bunch of cliche roses in his hand.<p>

Nervously, he raised his hand to the brown wooden door and knocked tentatively. It took only a few moments for it to open, but it did, revealing a shocked Vanessa. Nate had to note that she looked good. Her brown curls had grown out to around bellybutton length and she was wearing a brown and orange patterned sundress.

"Hi," Nate said quietly. His heart skipped multiple beats as he hoped and prayed that she was happy to see him.

A broad smile made it's way onto Vanessa's face and Nate let out a content sigh.

_She was_.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I don't even know what that was.**


End file.
